Temperamental

Chapter 13

After being found, Kazimir was whisked, at the fastest speed possible, back to the palace. The King of Tuathalis sighed in relief- finally able to remove the nosey ministers out from their private matters. The Queen was even more relieved as no matter how many times Kazimir's wander lust struck up, as a mother she would still feel panic when her children went missing.

Upon stepping into the castle grounds, Kazimir was welcomed by both parents as well as his younger brother and sister. The Second Prince Conri rolled his eyes willfully before circling around Callinan like a dedicated puppy. TheQueen dropped all airs and suffocated Kazimir in a hug, startling the little golden bird that was habitually nested in the boy's hair.

"Mother! Big brother will die if you carry on." The youngest of the siblings spoke up. Princess Elitza had an appearance as pure as jade. With unruly blonde hair and wide black eyes, there was no child that could rival Princess Elitza's cuteness. It was especially so when the child puffed her cheeks in frustration as she pulled her mother's sleeves.

"Big brother! Big brother! Tell me about your adventure!" The little princess spoke with a twinkle in her eyes. Due to Kazimir's unique constitution, he had experienced many interesting events despite his youthful age. Naturally this made him the best story teller- a family secret.

"Yes, yes. Indeed! I'm sure we're all curious about your disappearance." The King spoke. His eyes hardened imperceptibly. Kazimir nodded before scooping up his sister and following the husband and wife duo to a more private place. Upon reaching his Father's private study, Kazimir let Elitza down and said softly, "Go play in the garden. Big brother will join you shortly."

The little princess nodded obediently.

The Queen sighed as she watched the siblings interact before noticing the absence of her second oldest. Kazimir noticed the anxiousness in his mother's eyes and laughed. "Don't worry Mother, little brother followed Imperial Knight Callinan."

The Queen visibly relaxed before nodding and entering her husband's study.

Once they were all within the safety of privacy, the atmosphere turned severe. The silence lasted for a full ten minutes before the King finally spoke. "Who were the attackers?"

Kazimir glanced at his mother one last time before focusing his full attention on his father. "Li Empire." He said briefly.

The King was shaking his hands, a nervous tick he had not been able to train himself out of. As a second prince, his education had not been as strict or as thorough as his elder brother to prevent inheritance competition. After he had taken up the throne he had struggled to tame the "bad etiquette" he had picked up during his travels. However a few habits had been retained.

"Are you sure?"

The King didn't doubt the authenticity of his son's words, he just wished his son had been mistaken. The war between the Li empire and Auralis kingdom was a quagmire dragging all unfortunate victims into its depths. The King of Tuathalis knew that his people were not meant for war. An isolated and well protected country would not produce the blood thirsty warriors required to survive through endless tortures. However it seemed that the war was looking for ways to drag their country down.

"Yes. They spoke the Li native tongue when they were attacking our party."

The King cursed profusely. If any ministers were to see their monarch swearing like a commoner, the Capital would be rioting. After calming down the King said "Explain what happened in detail."

And so for the next hour, Kazimir described what had happened during the attack and where he had ended up afterwards. He had decided to be vague about Roan's role. Instead he called Roan a wandering Druid. During the time spent with Roan, Kazimir had always had to listen to the unicorn's lectures on how the evil humans coveted his life. Although Kazimir trusted his family, he had still been successfully brainwashed by Roan and the fairies.

As Kazimir neared the end of his story, he didn't forget to mention the little golden bird. "This is my contract beast." He said as he pulled the bird out from his hair. The Queen looked suprised when she saw the appearance of the bird. She gasped as she spoke "Celestial beast! How did you convince such a prideful creature to make a contract?"

Both Kazimir and King Nolan simultaneously looked at her in surprise. "My dumb bird is a celestial beast?" Kazimir asked, the doubt prevalent in his tone.

"Of course!" The Queen exclaimed. "That's a Phoenix chick."

Kazimir poked the golden ball of feathers. "How did you become a celestial beast?" Kazimir's doubt was understandable. His standards for a celestial beast revolved around his impressions of Roan- a dedicated guardian with unrivaled powers and intelligence that could put scholars to shame. The little golden bird however, was lazy, acted shamelessly and would not display any hint of power no matter what occasion.

The bird opened its eyes and spoke through the contract's bond. "You have never asked so why would I explain? That lady is a sharp one though, not many can identify my species easily."

Kazimir could only sigh. "The little golden bird followed the Druid senior. The senior didn't explain their origins." Kazimir casually lied as he shrugged his shoulders. Finally the interrogation ended and Kazimir was able to excuse himself. "I promised little sister that I would accompany her. It is not good to leave her on her own." He said as he left.

Kazimir wandered into the gardens and found his younger sister weaving a crown out of flowers. The scene made him remember Roan's expression after his first transformation. The man had sat on the ground playing with the red leaves, an expression of content on his face as he smoothed the crinkles out.

"Elitza!" Kazimir called to the loli. The princess turned to face him, tilting her head to the side in an adorable manner. "Brother! You are finished now?" She replied as she discarded to flower crown. Kazimir nodded.

And so the siblings enjoyed each other's company. Soon they were joined by a mischievous Prince Conri. "What adventures have you been enjoying?" Conri asked Kazimir.

Kazimir smiled cheekily- his uncharacteristic expression stunned both his other siblings. "Have you ever heard stories about the Celestial beast unicorns?" He asked smugly.

Conri and Elitza both nodded in anticipation. Elitza's large eyes widened even further. "I met a unicorn!" Kazimir said.

"Liar!" Conri retorted. "Everyone knows that unicorns are just a myth... How could you have met a unicorn." Conri's eyes were narrowed in dissatisfaction.

However the Kazimir didn't respond and only laughed gleefully. "Little brother, don't worry! I'll find him again and get him to make a contract with me! I'll be the first person to make a contract with a unicorn."

Conri could only purse his lips at Kazimir's conviction. Princess Elitza, however, clapped in delight. "Big Brother, you have to introduce me to your unicorn then."

The oblivious unicorn did not realize that his fate had been sealed by one child's oath and that he would not be able to escape the entanglement of destiny.

Rather, the unicorn was feeling strangely lonely. After Kazimir left with the golden bird, there was a hollowness in Roan's heart. He had grown accustomed to the nagging child and the lazy feather ball. Roan looked at the empty cave... Maybe it was time for him to explore somewhere new. So long as he used his transformation ability, there were none that would know he was a valuable celestial beast.

After making up his mind, Roan decided to bide the forest goodbye. As a precaution, he set up a magical barrier around the forest to protect those beasts and the fairies who had guided him for so long. As he left, the fairies gifted him with precious fruits and blessings. Roan felt touched by their sentiments and promised to return.

And so a gold and white roan decked in flowers with a woven bag around its neck, left the forest.

A.N.

It's a short chapter... Many apologies 😅. Slowly but surely getting to the main story plot. I hope you can bare with me- I want to have a consistent schedule but then I get assignments 🤦‍♀️😭

So anyone got a suggestion for a cool name for a phoenix. I've been delaying naming the little golden bird but I feel like I can't realistically keep that up 😂